Tom Pidcock and his Pinarello-Q36.5 teammates took a road less travelled to prepare for their spring goals, heading to altitude in Chile in January before a block of early-season racing in Spain.
Pidcock and his coaches hope the combination of altitude training, intense racing and further quality training will give him a peak of form that will span from Saturday’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad until the Ardennes, with Strade Bianche, Milan-San Remo and the Volta a Catalunya in between.
The Tour de France is Pidcock’s second major goal of 2026, with any GC hopes built on the back of stage victories and enjoying the challenge, just as he did to finish third overall at the Vuelta a España.
Altitude in the Andes
While some riders were forced to grind out hours on the indoor trainer due to a wet and miserable European winter or after being blocked by heavy snowfalls at the Sierra Nevada, the biggest concerns for Pidcock and his teammates in Chile were the heat in the valley, a constant need for sun screen and huge condors circling above their heads.
Pidcock, Fred Wright, Thomas Gloag, Xandro Meurisse, Fabio Christen, Brent Van Moer and Quinten Hermans spent 25 days in the Andes mountains, staying at 2,780 metres above sea level in the La Parva ski resort above the capital Santiago.
Chile is in the southern hemisphere and so the riders enjoyed the winter warmth whenever they descended from La Parva. They stayed in apartments and bonded post-training, having fun, while working hard.
Chile is a 12-hour flight from Europe but there is only a four-hour time difference,…
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